Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Adventist
AN ANSWER
To the false charges and unscriptural teachings of E. B. Jones
By
MILTON E. KERN
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
COPYRIGHT, 1945.
www.maranathamedia.com.au
Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
CONTENTS
Preface
1. The Nature of Christ
2. Righteousness by Faith or Works
3. Present and Future Salvation
4. The Atonement in Type
5. The Scapegoat "Heresy"
6. The Ministry of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary
7. The 2300 Days and the Investigative
8. Judgment
9. Was the Atonement Completed on the Cross?
10. Have the Ten Commandments Been Abolished?
11. Change of the Sabbath
12. The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast
13. Prophecies Concerning the Jews
14. The Order of Future Events
15. The Mission of the Church
16. Spirit of Prophecy
17. Some Reasons Why You Should Be An SDA
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PREFACE
WHILE Seventh-day Adventists do not court religious controversy, the circulation of a pamphlet by E. B.
Jones, entitled Forty Bible-supported Reasons Why You Should Not Be a Seventh-day Adventist, seems to
demand a reply. We certainly welcome the privilege of giving Bible evidences for our faith. It will be
necessary, also, to show that in many cases Adventist teachings have been misrepresented by false
statements and garbled quotations.
Inasmuch as Mr. Jones announces himself as a former Seventh-day Adventist worker, it is fitting
that we should give some of the facts regarding his experiences in connection with the Adventist Church.
While one who has been a member of an organization might naturally be considered well
qualified to point out its mistakes, it would be well to remember that the circumstances of the separation of
such an individual from the organization may have engendered such bitterness as to make it difficult for
him to be a fair critic. If the ideals and integrity of your home were at stake, you would doubtless feel that a
disgruntled member who had been separated from the family would not be a good witness regarding the
character of your home. Doubtless you would at least feel that the happy and loyal members of your
household should be heard.
In the year 1914 the writer conducted evangelistic meetings in the Adventist church at Battle
Creek, Michigan. At that time Mr. and Mrs. Jones, both worldly young people, professed conversion, were
baptized, and united with the church. Imagine my surprise to read from Mr. Jones that his decision to serve
God was "not made in a revival meeting" but on a street corner, and that he "had not attended a religious
meeting for years," but that due to the influence of his early training "it was, of course, the natural thing for
me to look up a Seventh-day Adventist church and make arrangements for baptism and induction into the
membership of that body!' We grant that his decision may have been made on a street corner, but he was
attending my meetings night after night, and it was not at all necessary for him "to look up a Seventh-day
Adventist church."
Being a printer, Mr. Jones was accepted as type room foreman in one of our American publishing
houses. Later he was sent to India as manager of the denominational publishing house in that field. There
he manifested such a critical and non-cooperative attitude that it became impossible to continue him in the
work, and he was recalled.
Returning to America, Mr. Jones again united with the Adventist church in Battle Creek, where he
had found employment as a printer. Still critical, but avowing absolute loyalty to all the teachings of the
church, he gathered about him a group of fellow church members who, under his guidance, set for
themselves the task of reforming the church. Some months later he united with a small group of people
who had withdrawn from the Adventist Church in Germany and had established an office in America. He
became the editor of their paper. This connection, however, did not last long. Mr. Jones went into business
in Chicago. There he was re-baptized and became once more a member of the Adventist Church.
But again he became disaffected, gathered about him a few sympathizers, and finally declared
himself out of harmony with some of the teachings of the church, and by his own request was dis-
fellowshiped. Even after this, however, he continued to keep the seventh-day Sabbath for six years, or until
about the time of the first edition of the pamphlet under review.
In the light of such a record of criticism, vacillation, and endeavors to lead dissent in the church,
his present position is better understood. In order to hold our answer to the limits of this pamphlet and still
give positive Biblical proofs of our positions, and to avoid repetitions, we have grouped his "reasons"
rather than answer each one separately. The figures given after each chapter heading in the table of
contents indicate the numbers of the "reasons" dealt with in that chapter.
Some may have tacitly accepted statements by the author of this pamphlet without checking on
their accuracy. In the interest of fair play we appeal to those who have read the pamphlet to carefully
consider our defense. We sincerely hope that the reader will follow the example of the noble Bereans who
"searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11. God's Word is our only guide.
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Mr. Jones' first complaint (No. 1) is that "Seventh-day Adventists teach that it was Christ, not the Father,
who conceived the plan of redemption." He quotes Mrs. Ellen G. White to the effect that Jesus "offered to
give His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon Himself." This, declares Mr. Jones, is contrary to
the Bible, which teaches that "God gave His only begotten Son"; that He "sent" Him, and that it was "by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" that Jesus was "delivered" to be "crucified and slain."
(John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; Acts 2:22, 23.)
Mr. Jones, however, fails to quote another scripture, which is very similar to the statement of Mrs.
White to which he takes exception, that Christ "through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to
Gad." Heb. 9:14. There is no contradiction between this passage and those quoted above. They are
complementary. Jesus said:
"Therefore does My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No
man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. 1 have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
again. This commandment have 1 received of My Father." John 10:17, 18.
The unity of the Father and Son in the plan of redemption is well expressed by Mrs. Ellen G.
White as follows:
"This great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him
willing to save. No, no! 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.' The Father loves us,
not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the
medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. 'God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself.' God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of
Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption. Jesus said, `Therefore does My Father
love Me, because 1 lay down My life, that 1 might take it again.' That is, 'My Father bath so loved you that
He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you.' "-Steps to Christ, p. 15 (chap. "God's Love for
Man.")
"I and My Father are one," declared Jesus. John 10:30. And who with finite mind will venture to
define exactly the respective parts taken by them in those councils of old, "before the foundation of the
world," when the plan of salvation was first laid? And why should any Christian shrink from accepting a
view that clearly magnifies equally the Son in offering Himself with the Father who gave that Son for a lost
world?
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behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express.
Long continued was that mysterious communing,-'the counsel of peace' (Zech. 6:13) for the fallen sons of
men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is 'the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world' (Rev. 13~8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield
up His Son to die for the guilty race." - Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 63.
In the face of such clear statements Mr. Jones, 'who for many years was a student of Mrs. White's
writings, declares that "Seventh-day Adventists teach that . . . the plan of redemption was formed after, not
before, man's temptation and fall." And what is the basis for this false charge? He cites a passage in which
Mrs. White described a council between the Father and the Son, after the fall of man, following which He
announced the decision to the angels of heaven. She does not say that this was the first time the plan was
considered by them; but Mr. Jones unequivocally asserts that Seventh-day Adventists teach that the plan of
redemption was formed after the fall of man. The clear statements which we have quoted prove his
assertion false.
"Whole volumes have been written on this controversy. . . . The evidence is so evenly balanced,
the difficulties of each opinion are so clear, that to insist very dogmatically on any positive solution of the
problem would be uncandid and contentious." - The Life of Christ, Vol. 1, p. 96.
Mr. Jones cannot support his charge that even by implication Mrs. White or Seventh-day
Adventists teach that Christ was not Mary's first-born son. Indeed, in the very book from which he quotes
the supposed heresy, allegedly denying the "virgin birth," Mrs. White speaks of "the sweet, childlike faith
of Mary, the maiden ["An unmarried woman, especially one who is young; one who is still a virgin."-
FUNK AND WAGNALLS, New Standard Dictionary] of Nazareth, whose answer to the angel's wonderful
announcement was, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.' "-The Desire
of Ages, p. 98. Thus "Reason No. 2" is based on what Seventh-day Adventists do not teach, and falls to the
ground.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
the Son of God differs from all others, both men and angels, not only in degree but in kind. (See Heb. 1:1-
9.) As for men, all, save Christ, have possessed the nature of evil, for all have been the offspring of their
father, Adam."
But is it not true that through His mother, Jesus, also, like all mankind, was the offspring of
Adam? Does not Luke trace His genealogy back to our common father? (Luke 3:23-38.) While the writer
of the book of Hebrews, in the first chapter, cited above, sets forth the deity of Christ, in the second chapter
he emphasizes the equally essential doctrine that "as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also
Himself likewise took part of the same"; that "verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took
on Him the seed of Abraham"; and as a climax, says:
"Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the
people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted."
Heb. 2:17, 18.
Through sin the human family has come under the condemnation of the law. The very heart of the
plan of salvation is the fact that only by becoming one with us could Christ act as our high priest and be
qualified to pay the sacrificial penalty for our sins. So Paul declares:
"When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. 4A, 5.
"God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." Rom. 8:3, 4.
'We hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." 2 Cor. 5:21.
In contradiction to these scriptures, Mr. Jones declares that "in His nature He was more than
human. He was divine; and, perforce, was immune to sin."
In his arraignment of Seventh-day Adventists, and their teachings regarding the incarnation, Mr.
Jones equally condemns practically every evangelical denomination.
The eminent English theologian H. P. Liddon, LL.D., who was made canon of St. Paul's
Cathedral, London, said:
"When our Lord says that authority was given Him to execute judgment because He is the Son of
man, it is plain that the point of the reason lies, not in His being Messiah, but in His being human. He
displays a genuine humanity which could deem nothing human strange and could be touched with the
feeling of the infirmities of the race which He was to judge. (John 5:27; Heb. 4:15.) . . . As the Son of man,
then, our Lord is the Messiah; He is a true member of our human race."-The Divinity of Our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, pp. 8, 9.
We also quote from a recognized Presbyterian authority, William N. Clark, D.D.:
"The unique person [Christ] was united to God and to humanity by the ties of life. With both,
Christ was vitally one; by living naturally He lived in perfect unity with both, and from neither could IFIe
be separated. Hence there was no need of any special arrangement or appointment to bring Him into closest
relationship with God or with men. By 1Iis very nature He had community of life with both-a community
of life that was not imaginary but actual, not arbitrary but natural. Born into the human race, He shared in
its life, while yet He had a solitary and unique community of life with God. He literally linked God and
humanity. Between the two He was the living link. These relations are represented by the two titles, Son of
God and Son of man."- An Outline of Christian Theology, pp. 305, 306. (Italics mine.)
It would seem that Jesus preferred the title "Son of man." While in the Gospels He speaks of
Himself as the "Son of God" less than a half dozen times, it is significant that, as Philip Schaff, D.D.,
points out, He "asserts His humanity and calls Himself, about eighty times in the Gospels, the Son of
man."-The Person of Christ, p. 79
Mr. Jones quotes the Bible correctly, and we do not object to the emphasis he places upon His
divinity in the phrases, "God with us"; "God [was] manifest in the flesh." But it is no perversion of the
Scriptures to transfer the emphasis, to read, "God with us," and "God was manifest in the flesh." Matt.
1:23;
1 Tim. 3:16. Seventh-day Adventists hold that Christ's divinity and humanity are essential to bridge the
gulf between man and his God. If this teaching is a reason why you should not be a Seventh-day Adventist,
it is also a reason why you should not be a member of other evangelical denominations.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
A Garbled Quotation
An attempt is made to prove that Seventh-day Adventists are legalists by quoting a few brief,
disconnected phrases from the writings of Mrs. Ellen G. White; yet Mrs. White herself was converted and
accepted righteousness by faith when a girl in the Methodist Church. Her writings on Christian experience
are recognized by thousands outside the Adventist communion as most helpful. One of Mr. Jones' excerpts
is taken from her book Steps to Christ, which is very well known, millions of copies of which have been
circulated in more than fifty languages. Perhaps the best way to enable the reader to judge of the merits of
the criticism is first to quote his brief, disconnected extract and then quote a larger selection, including his
extract, which will be printed in bold type.
"The . . . dangerous error is, that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the law of God; that
since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have nothing to do with our
redemption. . . . The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been, perfect obedience to the
law of God!'
The fuller excerpt is as follows, with the portions quoted by Mr. Jones in bold type.
"There are two errors against which the children of God particularly those who have just come to
trust in His grace-especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own
works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to
become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do
without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can
make us holy.
"The opposite and no less dangerous error is, that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the
law of God: that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have nothing to
do with out redemption.
"But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love., The law of God
is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the
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foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the
divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle
of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new
covenant promise is fulfilled. 'I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.'
Heb. 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience-the service and
allegiance of love-is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, 'This is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments.' 'He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.' 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that
makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.
"We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to be received by
faith. But obedience is the fruit of faith. 'You know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in
Him is no sin. Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen Him, neither known Him.'
1 John 3:5, 6. Here is the true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings, our
thoughts, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the precepts of His holy law.
'Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.' 1
John 3:7. Righteousness is defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the ten precepts
given on Sinai.
"That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation of obedience to
God, is not faith, but presumption. 'By grace are ye saved through faith.' But 'faith, if it hath not works, is
dead.' Eph. 2:8; James 2:17. Jesus said of Himself before He came to earth, 'I delight to do Thy will, 0 My
God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.' Ps. 40:8. And just before He ascended again to heaven He declared,
'I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.' John 15:10. The Scripture says, 'Hereby
do we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. . . . He that says he abides in Him ought
himself also so to walk, even as He walked.' 1 John 2:3-6. 'Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that you should follow His steps.' 1 Peter 2:21.
'The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,-just what it was in Paradise
before the fall of our first parents,-perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life
were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled.
The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized." - Steps to Christ,
pp. 64-67 (chap. "The Test of Discipleship").
Here again is clearly set forth Seventh-day Adventist teaching regarding righteousness "by faith
alone" through "the grace of Christ alone," with a clear statement that "our works have nothing to do with
our. redemption," and that "obedience is the fruit of faith." If such teaching is good reason for not being a
Seventh-day Adventist, it would likewise disqualify one from becoming a member of most of our
evangelical churches. And it is difficult for us to believe that ministers of other churches who have
endorsed Mr. Jones' pamphlet would have done so if they had really known of such glaring
misrepresentations of Adventist teachings as demonstrated above.
As further evidence of the inconsistency of this tirade against Adventists, let it be said
parenthetically that while here Mr. Jones accuses Mrs. White of teaching the doctrine of righteousness by
works, under "Reason No. 32' he quotes her as saying that the message which the Adventists have to give
is the doctrine of justification by faith.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
salvation. He said, "By the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20), and, "I had not however known sin,
but by the law (Rom. 7:7). Having found, that he could not of himself obey the law, which is holy and just
and good (verse 12), he accepted from God the blessed gift of righteousness, a righteousness that was
"witnessed by the law and the prophets." (Rom. 3:21.) And as the beloved John beheld in vision the
glorious inheritance of the saints, he said, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14.
Christians on Probation
We are even condemned for teaching that Christians are placed here on probation," and '
that those who "prove ' worthy" will have eternal life. (No. 15.) It really seems superfluous to answer such
a charge. Jesus spoke of those who should be "accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection
from the dead” (Luke 20:35), and Paul frequently charges his readers to "walk worthy" (Eph. 4:1; Col.
1:10). The Scriptures clearly teach that it is possible for Christians to fail and be lost. (See next chapter.)
Again Mr. Jones quotes from Mrs. White and leaves out a phrase that would have unmasked his
efforts to deceive his readers. From Counsels to Teachers (page 366) he quotes: "Man is no passive being,
to be saved in indolence. He is called upon to strain every muscle and exercise every faculty in the struggle
for immortality." The remainder of the sentence which he now fails to quote is, "Yet it is God that supplies
the efficiency."
It so happens that in a pamphlet which Mr. Jones published, on his own, when he was an
Adventist, he approvingly used this same quotation, including the phrase which he now omits. And he
spoke of the "unspeakably glorious" truth of righteousness by faith thus taught by Mrs. White. Is it not
crystal clear that our critic, by his omission of the part of the sentence in bold type above, is deliberately
endeavoring to deceive his readers regarding the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists? Regretfully, but in
all sincerity, we ask, Is this kind of deceptive manipulation the fruit of "the gospel of pure grace"?
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between which shone a mysterious light, the Shekinah, a symbol of God's presence among His people. The
door to the holy place was a hanging, or veil, and the holy place was separated from the most holy by a
second veil.
Specific and minute directions were given concerning the priesthood, the sacrifices, and all the
services to be conducted in the sanctuary. "This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and
of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace
offerings; which the Lord commanded Moses in Mount Sinai, in the day that He commanded the children
of Israel to offer their oblations unto the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai!' Lev. 7: 37, 38.
As there were two separate and distinct apartments in the sanctuary, so there were two distinct
types of service: the daily and the yearly service. Each day there were the morning and evening sacrifices,
the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar before the second veil, and the special offerings for the
removal of guilt from those who had disobeyed the moral law, the transgression of which is sin. (1 John
3:4.)
The rules governing sin offerings varied somewhat, but in each case the sinner who by his sin had
merited death, provided himself an offering as a substitute, brought it to the door of the tabernacle, laid his
hand upon it-thus in type transferring his sin to the innocent victim-and then killed it. The disposition of
the blood was somewhat different in different cases, but in every case the objective was the same, to
transfer to the sanctuary in symbol, the record of the sin that had been laid on the victim and for which it
had died.
In some cases the priest was to "dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times
before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary," and also put "some of the blood upon the horns of the
altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation," and pour all the
blood "at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation." Lev. 4:6, 7. In other cases the priest was to "take of the blood of the sin offering with his
finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering" and "pour out his blood at the bottom of the
altar of burnt offering." Verse 25. So in this case the blood was not sprinkled before the veil in the
sanctuary.
When the blood was not taken into the sanctuary, the flesh was to be eaten: "The priest that offers
it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation."
Lev. 6:26. This distinction was made.
"No sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to
reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire." Lev. 6:30. Moses, in
speaking of the sin offering that was to be eaten, told the priests that "God bath given it you to bear the
iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord!' Lev. 10:17.
The typical transfer of sin is clearly taught. Again and again, with reference to the work of the
priest after the sinner laid his hand on his offering and killed it, the statement is made, as in Leviticus 4:31,
"the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him." The sin had been transferred in
type to the animal, which paid the penalty by its death. The record of this forgiven sin was carried by the
blood to the horns of the altar of incense. In the cases in which the flesh was eaten, we are distinctly told
that God had given it to the priests to "bear the iniquity!' Lev. 10:17. When priests who thus bore iniquity
made offerings for themselves, the record for those forgiven sins was likewise transferred to the sanctuary.
The sins of the repentant sinner who brought his offering were forgiven. Atonement was made by
the sprinkled blood or the eating of the flesh, and he was free. But the sins had not yet been blotted out and
finally disposed of. The record had been transferred in type to the sanctuary, which was cleansed from all
defilement once a year on the Day of Atonement. The Bible statements regarding the Day of Atonement
make that very clear.
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incense on the mercy scat, "that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the
testimony, that he die not!' Lev. 16:13. Then he went out, received the blood of the bullock from the priest,
again entered the most holy place, sprinkled the blood "upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the
mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times" (verse 14), thus making "atonement
for himself, and for his house" (verse 11).
The high light of this solemn service of the Day of Atonement was the disposition of the two
goats furnished by the congregation. These goats were presented "before the Lord at the door of the
tabernacle," and lots were cast upon them, "One lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat
[Hebrew Azazel]." Verses 7, 8. The Lord's goat was offered "for a sin offering," but the other was
"presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the
wilderness." Verses 9, 10.
After the ceremony of administering the blood of the bullock for himself and for his house, the
high priest came out, took the Lord's goat, and killed it. During the daily services throughout the year, the
sinner who came with his sin offering always killed his sacrifice, but on the Day of Atonement the high
priest, as the representative of all the people, slew the victim. Again he entered the sanctuary and sprinkled
the blood of the people's sin offering on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. (Verse 15.) In doing this
he made "atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of
their transgressions in all their sins." Returning to the first apartment, or holy place, which is also- called
the tabernacle of the congregation, he did the same thing there "for the tabernacle of the congregation, that
remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness." Verse 16. Then having made atonement for the
sanctuary, he went to the altar of burnt offering and put some of the blood of both the bullock and the goat
upon the horns of the altar, and sprinkled the altar with his finger seven times, to cleanse it, and hallow it
from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Verse 19.
Thus was the sanctuary cleansed, not because of any inherent sin in it, but because of the
"uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions." Verse 16. It was ceremonially
and typically unclean because during the entire year sin-laden blood, the blood of victims over which sin
had been confessed, had been brought into it. The work of cleansing the sanctuary was now finished. "And
when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the
altar, he shall bring the live goat.... and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all
their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the
hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not
inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." Lev. 16:20-22. The sanctuary was cleansed, and
all the confessed sins of the year were not only forgiven but entirely separated from the camp of Israel.
The high priest then washed himself and changed his garments; the man who led away the
scapegoat into the wilderness had to wash himself and his garments before returning to camp, and likewise
the man who disposed of the carcass of the bullock. With the evening sacrifice this momentous day came
to an end. The summary of the day's ceremonies is given in these words: "He shall make an atonement for
the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar,
and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation." Lev. 16:33. The
sins of all who, during the year, had brought their substitutionary sacrifices and thus obtained forgiveness,
and who had maintained their attitude of repentance through the day of final reckoning, now had all the
sins of the year blotted out; all of which was "a figure for the time then present." Heb. 9:9.
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When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent in twain-an indication that the
typical system, "handwriting of ordinances" (Col. 2:14), had come to its end.
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Meaning of "Azazel"
The Hebrew word for scapegoat is "Azazel," and is so transliterated in the English and American
Revised Versions. The English word "scapegoat" was doubtless used in the common version because of the
final disposition of the animal. - Dr. M. M. Kalisch, a learned Jewish scholar, speaks of Azazel as the "evil
demon, or devil, Azazel, the author and originator of sin." Azazel is a noted character in Eastern legend-
doubtless reflections of the story of Satan's fall from heaven. In commenting on Azazel's part in the
services of the Day of Atonement, Kalisch says: "It would be too much to consider both [goats] virtually as
one sin offering presented to God; the two worked out the desired object in a very different manner; one
was a victim intended to atone for sins, the other carried away sins already atoned for; the one was
dedicated to God, the other to a different power. (Lev. 16:8.) . . . They implied the acknowledgment of two
opposite and opposing forces in the moral world, since Azazel, though passive in the ceremonial of the
Day of Atonement, was considered to have been most active throughout the year as a tempter and
instigator to sin."-Commentary on Leviticus (English or Abridged edition), Part 2, p. 209. Again he says:
"The goat was no sacrifice presented to Azazel, no offering meant to appease his wrath; it was not
slaughtered, but left in the desert . . . to its fate; it did not work the 9tonement of the people, which was
effected solely by the blood of the second goat killed as a sin offering; it served, in fact, merely as a symbol
of complete removal." - Ibid., p. 185.
Talbot W. Chambers, in The Presbyterian and Reformed Review for January, 1892, pages 22-34,
speaking of the function of the two goats on the great Day of Atonement. Says that "the double offering
[one for Jehovah and the other for Azazel typified not only the removing of the guilt of the people but its
transfer to the odious and detestable being who was the first cause of its existence" - Satan.
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trump of God to raise His sleeping saints, they, with the righteous living, will be caught up to meet their
Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17.) The wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. 2:8),
and "shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried" (Jer. 25: 33). They will not live again until after a
thousand years. (Rev. 20:5.) The earth will be left a desolation, a land uninhabited (the bottomless pit)
where Satan, the antitypical scapegoat, will have a thousand years in Which to contemplate the terrible
havoc and suffering that sin has caused. (Rev. 20:1-3.) At the close of the thousand years the wicked dead
will be raised to life, and the devil and all the wicked host will be utterly destroyed. (Rev. 20:5, 7-10, 14,
15.)
The beloved John saw a new heaven and new earth, and he saw the Holy City coming down from
God, and "heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He
will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev. 21: 3, 4. The
great controversy is ended. The blood-washed throng have received their inheritance. Sin and sinners are
no more. The character of God has been vindicated.
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quoting this word and phrase from the Bible he evidently means to fortify his assertion that the "Bible
says" this; but unfortunately for his theory there is no such statement in the Bible. He refers to Matthew
27:50, 51, where the statement is made that the veil in the temple at Jerusalem was rent when Jesus died.
But far from teaching that the veil in heaven was removed, this indicated rather that the typical services on
earth had come to an end, and that soon "by His own blood" our true High Priest was to enter "in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Heb. 9:12. The holy place (or "holy places"-
Greek) into which He entered, we are told, was "heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for
us." Heb. 9:24. Soon after His resurrection Christ ascended to heaven, there to begin His work of
mediation in the "true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Heb. 8:2. The other quotation by
Mr. Jones-"the temple of God . . . in heaven"-is from Revelation 11:19, which is quoted above. There is
nothing said here either about there being "no intervening veil." So this assertion falls for lack of Bible
evidence.
Another effort to prove that "the two apartments on earth did not represent two apartments in
heaven," is based on an interpretation of Hebrews 10:19, 20, that the veil represents the flesh of Christ.
These verses read, "11aving therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by
a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh." It is
difficult to see, even if this interpretation were accepted, how that would prove that there are not two
chambers in the heavenly sanctuary. There are many Bible scholars who are not Seventh-day Adventists
who dissent from this interpretation, believing that "His flesh" is the "new and living way" and not the
"veil." The reading of both the English and American Revised Versions lends itself to this interpretation.
Both Versions read, "By the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is
to say, His flesh."
"This interpretation," says W. H. G.Holmes, in his The Epistle to the Hebrews, page 368,
"requires that the comma after 'way' be deleted." Punctuation marks, as all Bible students know, are not in
the original and must be determined by the evident meaning of the words and grammatical construction.
Holmes says further: "What is this way, which is new and living, by which we can pass through the veil?
The answer is that it is His flesh. It is because the Word was made flesh that He has become the Way (St.
John xiv. 6), that men may become His members, and 'in His blood' pass into the very presence of God.
What is the veil through which they pass? The veil is all that keeps men from the true knowledge of God
and shuts off access to Him. The Way is the Way of the Incarnation and the Sacrifice that it includes. It is
new because though dedicated in eternity it is new in time, and remains ever fresh in efficacy. It is living,
for He ever lives to impart life. To tread the ways of earth is to grow wearier each step; to walk in Christ,
the Way, is continually to receive new supplies of life."
Bishop Westcott takes the same position. He suggests the following construction. "A way through
the veil, that is, a way consisting in His flesh, His true human nature." "This construction," he says,
"appears to be followed by our Early English translations," mentioning Tyndale, Coverdale, and others. He
further says: "The Greek certainly admits this construction: ... And the sense agrees perfectly with the
argument. . . . The thought which is thus expressed of a ' way consisting in Christ's flesh' falls in perfectly
with the scope of the passage. It was by the 'way of His flesh,' by a way which lay in His humanity, that
Christ entered through the veil after the offering of Himself as a High Priest able to sympathize with men.
And it is by the
'way of His flesh,' as sharing in the virtue of His humanity, and sprinkled with His blood, that Christians
come before God." The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 320.
Yes, thank God, Christ, who "was made flesh" (John 1:14), is the way. He became the Son of man
and He entered "within the veil," thereby making it possible for us to enter into heaven. (Heb. 4:14; 6:19,
20.)
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of his proof texts, the plural is used in describing where Christ is with God. Ephesians 1:20 says that Christ
is at the right hand of God "in the heavenly places" (plural), as does Hebrews 9:24, already mentioned. The
sanctuary is in heaven, but heaven is not the sanctuary.
It is true that the presence of God was manifested in the second apartment of the earthly sanctuary,
the place where the sacred law was kept, and the place of final judgment at the end of the round of yearly
services, but God's presence was also manifested elsewhere. (See Ex. 40:35; Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 12:5; Ex.
29:42.) In current phraseology, we do not limit the expression "on the throne" to refer to a particular seat or
room. At his coronation the king of England is literally there, seated on a throne, which may be viewed in
Westminster Abbey. Though there may be a special place, known as the throne room, the ruler may be
anywhere and yet rightfully said to be "on the throne." So, in the heavenly sanctuary, the mercy seat on the
ark of the covenant, overshadowed by the cherubim, may be, in one sense, God's dwelling place. Yet it
would be childish to understand such expressions as "He sits between ["above," A.R.V.] the cherubim" (Ps.
99:1; 80:1) as teaching that God remains in one place.
It is argued that the expression "within the veil," where Christ entered (Heb. 6:19, 20), could only
mean the most holy place. While the distinction of the two veils is not strictly preserved in the Septuagint
(the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), in the Hebrew two distinct words are used. The word
for the outer veil is masak, "hanging," and the word for the inner veil is pahrocheth, "veil." An exception to
this is found in Numbers 18:7, where the word used for outer veil is pahrocheth. That it refers to the outer
veil is clear from verse 5. And the expression here is the same as in Hebrews 6:19, "within the veil." It
should be noted, too, that when the author of Hebrews refers to the inner veil, he calls it "the second veil."
(Heb. 9:3.) So if a sanctuary veil is referred to in Hebrews 6:19, it must be the first veil. This is another
evidence that Christ's priestly work began in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.
We are told in the beautiful prophecy of the "Branch" (Christ) in Zechariah 6:12, 13, that "He
shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and
the counsel of peace shall be between them both!' As priest, Christ is now sitting down with His Father on
His Father's throne (Rev. 3:21), and the mediation in behalf of sinners goes on. When this work is
completed, and sin and Satan are forever destroyed, "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His
father David," and "the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory!' (Luke 1:32; Matt. 19:28.)
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Then the beginning of this prophetic period is given. "Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be
seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
.times." Verse 25. The seven weeks were evidently allotted to the restoration of Jerusalem, but this
prophetic period reaches far beyond the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple service there. The word
"Christ," which means "anointed," is the Greek word for "Messiah." So, from the decree to restore and
build Jerusalem in 457 BC. to the anointing of Jesus as the Messiah was to be sixty-nine weeks. And what
was to happen during that last week? "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
Himself. . . . And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week He
shall, cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Verses 26,27.
Note these accomplishments: "make an end of sins ... .. make reconciliation for iniquity," "bring in
everlasting righteousness," "anoint the most holy" (verse 24), "Messiah be cut off" (verse 26), "confirm the
covenant with many for one week," and in the middle of that last week "cause the sacrifice and oblation to
cease" (Verse 27). These words scarcely need explanation. Is there any question in the reader's mind but
that the sixty-nine weeks of this prophecy reached to the anointing of our blessed Lord as the Christ, and
that in the midst of that seventieth week, occurred the central event of all history-the crucifixion of Christ,
not for Himself, but to make the great reconciliation for the iniquity of the whole world?
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tabernacle erected by Moses, and the services carried on in it,, were "the example and shadow of heavenly
things!' Heb. 8:5. As W. H. G. Holmes says, "Christ's priestly ministry in the transcendent sanctuary is
elucidated by a comparison with the ritual of the earthly tabernacle." -The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 316.
If there is not a similar work of atonement and cleansing from sin carried on in this heavenly
sanctuary, then these statements in the book of Hebrews are meaningless. This view of the ministry of
Christ in heaven gives a larger conception of the glorious plan of salvation and of the work of Christ as our
mediator. As the earthly sanctuary was cleansed once a year on the great Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:19,
20), so the heavenly sanctuary is to be "purified" with "better sacrifices" by "His own blood" (Heb. 9:23,
12) on the antitypical day of atonement. It seems a shocking thing to our critic that the heavenly sanctuary
needs cleansing. It "is not a place of defilement," says he; yet on the same page he quotes an author as
saying, "The atoning sacrifice of Christ ... so glorified God that the heavens were cleansed forthwith from
that scandal and offense." If we accept the second of these contradictory statements, the only difference
between us, after all, is merely the time of cleansing and not the fact.
There is nothing strange or incongruous in the thought that God fully and freely forgives sins
when they are confessed, and yet keeps a record of these sins (and also their forgiveness) until life's record
is complete or until the day of final judgment. The Lord has used strong statements to assure us of His
love, and forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness!' 1 John 1:9. "I, even I, am He that blots out thy transgressions for Mine own
sake, and will not remember thy sins!' Isa. 43:25. Doubtless in such promises the Lord means to assure us
not only of full and free forgiveness but also of His eternal purpose to utterly obliterate sin. Such
statements do not contradict other plain statements to the effect that it is possible for those who are
forgiven to turn back and be lost. "When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to
his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his
iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it!' Eze. 33:13. Jesus told the parable of a king who forgave
a servant of an enormous debt, but when that servant refused to forgive a fellow servant of a small amount,
"his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him."
(Matt. 18:21-34.)
True, Christ has "purged our sins" (Heb. 1:3), but unfortunately, some forget that they were
"purged," and hence, Christians are urged to make their "calling and- election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). There is
even danger that those who were "enlightened" and "made partakers of the Holy Ghost" and tasted "the
powers of the world to come" shall fall away and be lost. (Heb. 6:4-6.) We are admonished to "hold fast
the profession of our faith without wavering." Heb. 10:23.
And yet our critic assures us that the cases of the believing children of God were settled on
Calvary. By this he doubtless means that there can be no falling away, or once in grace always in grace.
The reader can judge the truth of this in the light of the above scriptures.
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8. THE JUDGMENT
In an effort to prove that there is no judgment for the righteous, some statements are made which
must appear strange to Bible students. For instance, John 5:24 is quoted from the Revised Version, where
the word "judgment" is used instead of "condemnation" as in the common version. "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that hears My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, bath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation ["judgment," A.R.V.1; but is passed from death unto life." But the Bible teaches
that all will be judged. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he bath done,, whether it be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10. For
the "saved," says Mr. Jones, this appearance is for an appraisal of their "service" and "not their sins"; but
the text says that it concerns what has been done "whether it be good or bad." Bad doing is surely sin.
In comparing these two texts let no one jump at the conclusion that the Bible contradicts itself.
This inspired statement as well as many others that foretell the future judgment of all mankind, does not
contradict statements such as John 5:24, in which evidently the thought is that those who accept Christ and
hold fast their profession will not be condemned in the final judgment. There surely is no contradiction
between the words of Jesus that "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn ["judge," A.R.V.] the
world" (John 3:17), and the statement of Peter that Jesus is "ordained of God to be the Judge of the living
and the dead" (Acts 10:42, A.R.V.).
Reference has already been made to Daniel's vision of the judgment scene and the presence of
millions of heavenly beings when "the books were opened." Dan. 7:9, 10. John on Patmos likewise had a
view of the judgment. "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works." Rev. 20:12. In that book of life are recorded the
names of all who have accepted Christ. (Phil. 4:3.) The names of those who hold fast their profession and
are over comers will be retained in that book, while others will be blotted out. (Rev. 3:5.) Dear reader, is
your name written there? "Be thou faithful unto death," and God 'I will give thee a crown of life." Rev.
2:10.
The Bible clearly teaches that God appointed a specific future time for the judgment. "He hath
appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness." Acts 17:31. The beginning of that
great day of judgment was at the end of the twenty-three hundred years, in AD. 1844. At that time a special
message began to go to the world: "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
pome." And just after this judgment-hour message, in the moving picture of future events, John beheld the
Son of man coming to reap the harvest of the earth. (Rev. 14:6-16.)
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He said:
"The ritual, or ceremonial, law, delivered by Moses to the children of Israel, containing all the
injunctions and ordinances which related to the old sacrifices and service of the temple, our Lord indeed
did come to destroy, to dissolve, and utterly abolish. To this bear all the apostles witness. . . . This
.'handwriting of ordinances' our Lord did blot out, take away, and nail to His cross. [Col. 2:14.]
"But the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the prophets, He did
not take away. It was not the design of His coming to revoke any part of this.... Every part of this law must
remain in force upon all mankind and in all ages; as not depending either on time, or place, or any other
circumstances liable to change; but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable
relation to each other." -Sermons on Several Occasions, Sermon XXV, "On the Sermon on the Mount,"
Vol. I, pp. 221, 222.
These statements from men who are recognized in the Protestant world as great Biblical scholars
and Christian leaders, stand out in bold contrast to the captious efforts to show the Ten Commandments,
spoken from heaven by Jehovah, to be a "weak and ineffective law."
"The most precious document in the possession of mankind is the law of God contained in the Ten
Commandments. It was spoken by God Himself in majesty upon Mount Sinai, confirmed by Christ while
on earth, and given to the church and the world as a guide of life and standard of conduct. Its clear, crisp,
decisive commands comprehend the whole duty of man. In its original form it is the constitution of the
universe; as adapted to man it defines his every duty. It is the foundation of all human law, the bulwark of
society and civilization, the protector of liberty, the guardian of morality, the preserver of the home, the
security of the state. Obeyed, it brings happiness, prosperity, and peace; disobeyed or ignored, it brings
sorrow, disaster, and chaos. Men and nations have disregarded it; pew and pulpit have attempted to
disannul it; evil men and seducers have violated it; society has flouted it; yet it remains the one accepted
standard of conduct; and mankind, whether they approve of it or not, pay it lip service. It is a builder of
character, a reprover of sin, a guide of life."-M. L. ANDREASEN, The Sabbath, p. 91.
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Not a single Christian writer during the first three hundred years used Revelation 1:10 or any New
Testament texts to prove that Sunday was the Lord's day. Any observance of Sunday that was practiced
was simply a matter of custom without divine authority.
The custom of honoring Sunday as the day of Christ's resurrection came into the Christian church
early. The apostasy against which the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders, and the "falling away,"
which he told the Thessalonian church was already at work (Acts 20:29-31; 2 Thess. 2:3-7), brought the
church into a serious condition by the middle of the second century. We have historical evidence of the
lack of devotion on the part of many of the clergy and a growing spirit of ambition, jealousy, and strife
among the leaders, as Paul had foretold. There came into the church not only the. observance of Sunday as
a day of assembly, but many other practices not known to the apostolic church, such as making the sign of
the cross. As to the authority for such things, Tertullian, a priest and writer of the church in North Africa,
wrote about AD. 200:
"If, for these and other rules, you insist-upon having positive Scripture injunction, you will find
none. Tradition will be held forth to you as the originator of them, custom their strengthener, and faith as
their observer. "-"The Chaplet," chap. 4, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III, p. 95.
That unscriptural customs thus came into the Christian church is freely and tersely acknowledged
by the Presbyterian scholar, Dr. W. D. Killen, in his The Ancient Church, preface to the original edition,
pages 15, 16:
"In the interval between the days of the apostles and the conversion of Constantine, the Christian
commonwealth changed its aspect.... Rites and ceremonies of which neither Paul nor Peter ever heard,
crept silently into use and then claimed the rank of divine institutions."
The Sabbath was not abandoned for a long time, but was observed long after Sunday had come to
be kept. This was the case as late as the year AD. 480, according to the historians Socrates and Sozomen.
Socrates, in his Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapter 22, 'page 289, states that "almost all the churches
throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of
Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, refuse to do this!' In recognition of this fact,
the able Anglican scholar, Dean Farrar, in his Voice From Sinai, page 167, declares that "the Christian
church made no formal, but a gradual and almost unconscious transference of the one day to the other."
During the early centuries of Christian history the Jews were in great disfavor with the Roman
state, and there was much antagonism between Christians and Jews. These antipathies had a great deal to
do with the substitution of Sunday for the Sa6bath.
Seventh-day Adventists do not teach that Constantine changed the Sabbath. His civil enactment,
in AD. 321, forbidding labor on the "venerable day of the sun," was doubtless prompted largely by the
desire to win the support of both Christians and pagans.
The Council of Laodicea (4th century), to which reference is made in the pamphlet under review,
did not dare, especially in the East, at that time, to entirely rule out the Sabbath. It directed that the
Scripture should be read aloud on the Sabbath, but also decreed that Sunday should be especially honored.
(Charles J. Hefele, History of the Councils of the Church, Vol. 11, pp. 310, 316.) While the decisions of
the Council of Laodicea had a wide influence, its decree regarding Sunday was only one of many similar
conciliar and papal decrees which resulted in the abandonment of the seventh-day Sabbath. These were all
landmarks in the gradual apostasy. For instance, Pope Gregory (AD. 590-604), in a letter to the Roman
citizens, denounced as "preachers of Antichrist" those who "forbid any work being done on the Sabbath
day."-Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2d series, Vol. XIII, p. 92. Incidentally, this papal letter is an
evidence of Sabbath keepers, even in Rome, as late as the close of the sixth century.
For the want of space, only a brief outline of the history of this great transaction of the
substitution of Sunday for God's appointed day of rest can be given. Anyone interested in studying the
subject further will find an abundance of material. It was the apostate Christian church, now known as the
Roman Catholic Church, of which the pope of Rome is the head, that finally effected the transfer.
The change from Sabbath to Sunday is briefly summarized by Dr. F. H. Yost in an article in Signs
of the Times, April 3, 1945, as follows:
"The church began early to keep Sunday. But it was the Catholic Church centering in Rome which
suppressed Sabbath observance and established Sunday keeping in its place. This change it claims to have
made on its own ecclesiastical authority, and not on the authority of Scripture. Tradition is the means
whereby it has done it. Tradition is in turn, they claim, established by the fact that Sunday is now being
kept."
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"Faulty Conjectures"
In discussing "reasons" No. 33 and 34 the critic boldly asserts that our teaching regarding the seal
of God and the mark of the beast is "just one more of Adventism's presumptuous endeavors to conform the
predictions of Inspiration to the faulty conjectures of men," and that "so far as the Bible is concerned, there
is not an iota of support" for the Adventist position. If the reader will, however, carefully read Mr. Jones'
exposition of these prophecies, we are sure he will discover that his is all "conjecture." For instance, a
"consolidated, end-time form" of the Roman Empire, which Mr. Jones predicts, can never materialize,
according to the Bible. Since the breaking 'up of that empire, the divine prediction that "they shall not
cleave one to another," has held true, in spite of all ambitious efforts to the contrary; and it will stand until
the God of heaven "shall . . . set up a kingdom." (Dan. 2:42-44.) We are also told that the "mark" is "the
number." However, in Revelation 13:17, we read of those who "had the mark, or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name," and in the scripture quoted at the beginning of this section the saints are said to
be victorious "over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name." Is it not perfectly clear
that the "number of his name" is distinct from "the mark," being separated by "or" and "and"?
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disobeyed, the Lord said, "How long refuse you to keep My commandments and My laws?" Verse 28. It
does seem that the Sabbath commandment has always been a test of loyalty. Through Isaiah the Lord said,
"Blessed is the man that does this, and the son of man that lays hold on it; that keeps the Sabbath from
polluting it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil!' And that blessing was also extended to the Gentiles.
(Isa. 56:2,4,6,7.)
The Sabbath, the Lord said, "is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth!' Ex. 31:17. And again: "Hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a
sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God!' Eze. 20:20. We are told by
Mr. Jones that "the 'Sabbaths'-all the various Hebrew festivals called 'Sabbaths,' not the weekly Sabbath
alone-were a-'sign' between God and Israel." (No. 18.) Strange to say, he refers to Exodus 31:13, which
says, "Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you!' Evidently the reference
here is to the weekly Sabbath. In the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, where are listed the annual feasts,
or Sabbaths, a clear distinction is made between them and the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. "These
are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. . . . beside the Sabbaths of the
Lord." Verses 37, 38.
Not only is the Sabbath a memorial of creation and a sign of a knowledge of the true God, but it is
a sign, or seal, of sanctification. "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and
them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20:12. True Sabbath keeping really
involves complete dedication, for no one can keep the Sabbath holy who himself is not holy. In this work
of sanctification the Holy Spirit is the instrument. So we are admonished by Paul, "Grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption!' Eph. 4:30.
We honor the great Reformers of the sixteenth century, who broke away from the Catholic Church
and emerged from medieval darkness. That they would be able at once to throw off all the errors of the
great apostasy is almost too much to expect. But many of these mighty men, if they could have lived,
would doubtless have kept advancing in light and would have recognized every unbiblical tenet of faith.
On this question of the Sabbath some did know of the papal claims regarding the change of the Sabbath, as
stated in Part 2, Article 7, of the Augsburg Confession, and there were some of the Reformers who kept the
seventh-day Sabbath. (Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, Vol. III, p. 64.) The Catholic Mirror
(Baltimore), September 23, 1893, stated the facts when it said: 'The Protestant world at its birth found the
Christian Sabbath [Sunday] too strongly entrenched to run counter to its existence; it was therefore placed
under the necessity of acquiescing in the arrangement, thus implying the church's right to change the day,
for over three hundred years."
"Cardinal's Residence,
Baltimore, Maryland.
Nov. 11, 1895.
"J. F. Snyder,
Bloomington, Illinois.
"Dear Sir:
"In answer to your question, directed to the Cardinal, 'Does the Roman Catholic Church claim the act of
changing the observance of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, as a mark of her
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power?'
'The answer, of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. It could not have been
otherwise, as none in those days would have dreamed of doing anything in matters spiritual and
ecclesiastical and religious without her. And the act is a mark of her authority in religious matters.
"Very Respectfully,
"C. F. Thomas"
In Romans 4:11 the words "sign" and "seal" are used interchangeably. As the Sunday institution is the
mark of the apostate church's boastful claims to have changed God's law, so the Sabbath is a sign of
sanctification (Ex. 31:13; Eze. 20:12), a sign of loyal obedience in the closing conflict of the great
controversy. Today we believe that God is calling for a restoration of the Sabbath in the Christian church.
The message is, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." And "if any man worship the beast
and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God." Rev. 14:7,9,10. The result of this last-day message is the gathering out of a people "that
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Verse 12. God's remnant church will pass
through serious conflict and will stand the test. "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make
war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ!' Rev. 12:17. In both these texts commandment keeping is especially pointed out by Inspiration as a
characteristic of the remnant church.
We do not question the sincerity of millions of Christians who conscientiously keep Sunday as the
Lord's Sabbath, nor do we claim that God does not reckon them as Sabbath keepers. But when the light
comes to them as it came to the home of the writer when he was a boy, and they see that there is no
Biblical basis for Sunday sacredness, and that the Ten Commandments are, as ever, the rule of life, then the
Sabbath becomes a test, and the keeping of it a sign, or seal, of their complete dedication to God. With a
new meaning they can pray in response to the reading of the commandments, "Lord, have mercy upon us
and incline our hearts to keep this law." And regardless of life-long customs, or even the loss of friends and
other hardships, they make their decision "to obey God rather than men." Thus in the closing days of the
great controversy between good and evil the world is being brought to the test of obedience, whether we
will keep the Sabbath which is a memorial of God's work in creation and also of His creative power in
sanctification, the Sabbath of which Christ is Lord, and thus receive the seal of God; or receive the mark of
that apostate power which the Lord said would "think to change times and laws" (Dan. 7:25), and which
boasts of having done so.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
2:30.) , And King Jesus will rule the saved of all nations. (Matt. 25:31, 32, 46.) His kingdom shall fill "the
whole earth" (Dan. 2:35), and the New Jerusalem will descend from God out of heaven to be its capital.
(Rev. 21:2.)
Spiritual Israel
Exception is taken to our use of the term Israel to designate the church of the Christian
dispensation. What is the teaching of the New Testament regarding that? Paul speaks of the "Israelites; to
whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of
God, and the promises." Rom. 9:4. But he adds, "They are not all Israel, which are of Israel.... That is, They
which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are
counted for the seed." Verses 6-8. To the Galatians he wrote that the seed promised to Abraham was Christ
(Gal. 3:16), and that "if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs. according to the promise"
(verse 29). And further, "There is neither Jew nor Greek.... for you are all one in Christ Jesus!' Verse 28.
So according to the Word of God, if we are Christ's children we belong to spiritual Israel, whether we are
by nature either Jews or Gentiles.
Our critic suggests that we study the entire eleventh chapter of Romans. Agreed. The chapter
begins with the question: "Hath God cast away His people?" The answer: "God forbid." Rom. 11:1. And
why? Because "there is a remnant according to the election of grace." Verse 5. And, referring to the change
in God's plan no longer to make the Jews the special depositaries of His truth, he says: "Now if the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more
their fullness?" Verse 12. And while they are no more His chosen nation, it is Paul's earnest hope that God
"might slave some of them." Verse 14.
Then Paul uses an illustration which makes the matter very clear. (Verses 17-24.) He likens this
faithful remnant of Israel to an olive tree from which the branches have been broken off "because of
unbelief," and says that branches from a wild olive tree, representing the Gentiles, have been grafted in.
These grafted branches, he indicates, are born by the original root. (Verse 17.) He further states that the
Jews who believe may he grafted in again. And he concludes by saying that "so [in this manner] all Israel
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
shall be saved." Verse 26. All who accept Christ, Jews and Gentiles, become spiritual seed of Abraham and
will be saved.
And note, there is but one olive tree, not two. Our Savior said, "Other sheep I have, which are not
of this fold: them also but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo,
we turn to the Gentiles." Acts 13:46.
I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." John
10:16. And Paul, writing to the Ephesians, said that Christ died, that He might reconcile both Jews and
Gentiles in "one body," and that the Gentiles "should be fellow heirs." (Eph. 2:11-16; 3:6.) This idea of
Christ's having two bodies "wholly distinct one from the other," one "exclusively Jewish" and the other
"composed of both Jews and Gentiles," is a human invention with no Warrant in the Word of God or in
reason.
The Jews rejected their Messiah because He did not meet their erroneous idea of what He should
be. They were looking for a Messiah who would break the Roman yoke and set up a temporal kingdom on
earth. And likewise today many Christians are blinded to the true nature of the "glorious appearing of the
great God and our Savior Jesus Christ," when His resurrected saints and living righteous shall be taken to
heaven (Titus 2:13; 1 Thess. 4:15-17), by a belief in the setting up of a temporal Jewish government in
Palestine and also the gradual development of the kingdom of God on earth. The truth is that when the
kingdom of God is set up, it will "break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." Dan. 2:44.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
"Amidst unceasing and almost countless fluctuations, the kingdoms of modern Europe have from their
birth to the present day averaged ten in number. They have never since the breakup of old Rome been
united into one single empire; they have never formed one whole even like the United States. No scheme of
proud ambition seeking to reunite the broken fragments has ever succeeded; when such have arisen, they
have been invariably dashed to pieces.... And the division is as apparent now as ever! Plainly and palpably
inscribed on the map of Europe this day, it confronts the skeptic with its silent but conclusive testimony to
the fulfillment of this great prophecy."---The Divine Program of the World's History, pp. 320, 321.
With slight variations such scholarly theologians as Joseph Mede, Dr. William Hales, Sir Isaac
Newton, Bishop Thomas, Newton, Rev. E. B. Elliott, and many others identify the ten kingdoms that
supplanted Rome in Europe. Why should we disregard this accurate fulfillment of the prophecy and look
for its fulfillment in some future age? If, as is claimed, there is to be a "final form" of the Roman Empire
during the millennium, then the angel made a mistake when he told Daniel that these kingdoms should not
"cleave one to another."
In Daniel 7 a power is introduced not referred to in the second chapter, "a little horn" that came up
among the ten, and before which three horns were plucked up. Of this power, it is written:
"He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time." Dan. 7:25.
Seventh-day Adventists do not follow the expositors for whom Mr. Jones is speaking, in looking
to the future for the fulfillment of this part of the prophecy. The rise of the papal power among the
divisions into which Rome was broken a religio-political power fulfills in striking detail the predictions
concerning this little horn. This, we believe, is "the man of sin" to which Paul referred, "the son of
perdition! who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as
God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:3,4. This was the teaching of
the early Reformers. Their clear identification of the Papacy as the foretold Antichrist was a most powerful
factor in that great spiritual awakening which was the precious heritage of Protestantism. If such a power
has already risen out of the Roman Empire, then why should we look for a future fulfillment, ignoring that
which has already appeared on the stage of action?
The Westminster Confession of 1647, which expresses the fundamental teachings of the great
Presbyterian Church, says:
"There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ; nor can the pope of Rome in any
sense be head thereof, but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself in the
church against Christ and all that is called God."-WILLIAM A. CURTIS, B.D., D.LITT., A History of
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
The Millennium
According to the futurist view of the millennium, there will be thousands left living on the earth
when Christ has secretly taken away His saints, who although having lived in this day of abounding gospel
light, have not turned to God. (No. 38.) But now, it is said, the devil is to be banished for a thousand years,
the earth's inhabitants are to be set free from his power, and Christ, the Prince of Peace, will reign. The
wicked who live at this time will therefore have another and better chance. But is it reasonable to think that
a just God would have an unequal plan like this? Might not many who have struggled against the
temptations of Satan in former ages, and who will be lost because they have not overcome, rise up and
challenge the justice of God in saving a multitude of people who have been removed from temptation and
surrounded with every incentive to be righteous? But we are told that God "is no respecter of persons"
(Acts 10:34), and that the "crown of *life" is for "the man that endures temptation" - (James 1:12). There is
no evidence in the Word of God for such a fantastic double plan of salvation.
The Bible teaches that at Christ's coming all the righteous, living and resurrected, will meet their
Lord in the air and be translated, and so shall they "ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:17. It is at this time
that those "that have done good," come forth "unto the resurrection of life." (John 5:29.) These are the
blessed and holy that have "part in the first resurrection." (Rev. 20:6.) The wicked are destroyed by "the
brightness of His coming. (2 Thess. 2:8.) While this expression may refer primarily to that wicked power
called Antichrist, it is evident that it cannot be limited to one being or to a group of the wicked, with the
inference that the remaining inhabitants of the earth can endure the glory and "fiery indignation" (Heb.
10:27) of Him who comes to put an end to the reign of sin. Only of the righteous can it be said that they
shall "dwell with devouring fire." (Isa. 33.14, 15.) It will be a time of fearful destruction. The apostle John
says that "every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Rev. 6:14. Jeremiah evidently
describes the same scenes of desolation.
"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo , there was
no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and
all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger." Jer. 4:23-26.
Of this scripture and other "somewhat similar passages" Mr. Jones says that they have no future
application. He quotes a "renowned student of the Word" as saying that they "clearly indicate that the earth
[previous to the creation of man] had undergone a cataclysmic change as the result of a divine judgment."
This is mere speculation, with no supporting Scripture evidence. These texts look forward, not backward. It
does not take a "renowned student of the Word" to know the meaning of a future tense. Following the
verses we have quoted from Jeremiah 4, we read, "For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be
desolate." Verse 27.
With the righteous in heaven and the wicked destroyed, this earth is left desolate for a thousand
years, before "the rest of the dead" shall live again. (Rev. 20:5.) Here Satan is "bound" amid the ruin that
sin has caused, until his subjects are raised, when he is again "loosed out of his prison," and goes forth to
"deceive the nations." (Rev. 20:7, 8.)
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. It is through the resurrection that "this mortal must
put on immortality." (1 Cor. 15:52, 53.) Therefore, as Paul tells us, "by patient continuance in well doing"
we "seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life!' Rom. 2:7. We do not seek for that which we
already have. It is generally taught that the righteous go to heaven at -death, but Peter, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, said that David (who was a man after God's own heart, Acts
13:22), was "not ascended into the heavens." (Acts 2:34.)
A future judgment and a resurrection is taught in most of the creeds of Christendom, but how
inconsistent and confusing to believe that persons who have died are in heaven long before that future
judgment which is to determine whether they should be there! Jesus said, "The hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto
the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29. It
is those that are "in the graves," both "they that have done good" and "they that have done evil," who "hear
His voice" and "shall come forth." The dead are not in heaven or hell but in their graves.
A natural concomitant of the doctrine of the "eternal existence" of all men is, of course, the
doctrine of an eternally burning hell. But, thank God, through the sacrifice of Christ, sin is to be forever
destroyed. Satan and all his hosts are to be "devoured," and left "neither root nor branch." (Rev. 20:9; Mal.
4A.) Sin is to be annihilated, not merely segregated. The fire that consumes the wicked melts the earth
"with fervent heat," and from that cleansing comes "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells
righteousness." (2 Peter 3:10, 13.) Sin and sinners will be no more.
Dear reader, Jesus has warned us against deceptive teachings regarding His Second Coming.
"Take heed that no man deceive you." Matt. 24:4. And He especially warns us against the idea of a secret
coming. (Verse 26.) "For," said He, "as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Verse 27. The fatal results of following the many false
teachers (verse 11), foreseen by Christ in these last days, should cause each one to be sure that his faith is
founded upon the Word of God. Those who followed the popular religious teachers in Christ's day did not
recognize and accept the One who came to save them. The same danger exists today.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
there arose a religious movement proclaiming the hour of God's judgment. It is probably true, as has been
said, that the people were stirred by this proclamation as they had not been stirred since the Protestant
Reformation.
The fact that William Miller, a Baptist, and hundreds of others in many churches, who proclaimed
this message, were mistaken in believing that Jesus would come to earth in 1844, rather than enter upon the
work of the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, does not prove that the message was not of
God. The disciples thought that the message, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," meant that Jesus would
restore the kingdom of Israel at that time, but their disappointment regarding what was to take place did not
prove that message untrue. Some of those who were in the 1844 movement soon saw the great sanctuary
truth, and continued to preach that the hour of God's judgment had come. This message, together with the
proclamation of the second and third angels, constitutes the threefold message which is being given by
Seventh-day Adventists at this time.
In his treatment of the message of the second angel, we have again Mr. Jones' arbitrary, unproved
interpretations of prophecy. He calls his a "Scripture-harmonizing interpretation," but one looks in vain for
any clear-cut explanations of Scripture, to say nothing of harmony. For instance he divides Babylon into
two phases and informs us that it is against the political phase that the second angel warns-that is, the
"Gentile world power, or the soon to rise consolidated, world-dominating empire of the 'beast . . . out of the
sea.` The religious phase, we are told, is the papacy, and that this religio-political system is to be favored
and upheld for a brief time in the near future by this same beast, which will in turn destroy the papacy.
In the first place, according to the infallible Word of God (Daniel 2 and other Scriptures), there is,
we repeat, to be no future world-dominating empire. (See pp. 53, 54.) In the second place, according to the
Bible, it is the third angel that warns against the beast, and not the second. According to Mr. Jones both the
first and second angels warn against the first beast of Revelation 13. And again, according to the prophecy,
Babylon is not to be destroyed by a political empire, for we are told that "the kings of the earth, who have
committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall
see the smoke of her burning." Rev. 18:9.
This "Babylon" is said to have committed fornication with the kings of the earth, and to be "the
mother of harlots." (Rev. 18:3; 17:5.) So Babylon is not a beast, as Mr. Jones asserts, but a woman, an
apostate church. Surely not much "Scripture-harmonizing interpretation" here.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
The president of the University of Chicago, Robert M. Hutchins, said: 'We do not know where we
are going, or why, and wee have almost given up the attempt to find out. We are in despair because the
keys which were to open the gates of heaven have let us into a larger but more oppressive prison house.
We thought those keys were science and the free intelligence of man. They have failed us. We have long
since cast off God. To what can we now appeal“ - Quoted in "The Revolt Against Science," The Christian
Century, Jan. 24, 1934.
The apostle Paul foretold the "perilous times" of these "last days" and the serious spiritual
condition of those "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." (2 Tim. 3:1-5.) And God in
His love and mercy is calling for a revival and reformation among His people, that they may quickly finish
the work of the gospel in all the world and be prepared to stand before the Son of man when He comes.
The Lord's loving message is, "Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins." Rev.
18:4.
The great red dragon of Revelation 12:4,5, is identified by what it is said to have done. It was
pagan Rome, inspired by Satan, that attempted to destroy Christ when He was born. That religio-political
power persecuted the early Christians to the death. Then, through the apostasy of the Christian church and
the adoption by the state of that degenerate Christianity, the Roman Empire became papal, and in turn
became a persecuting power. Thus the leopard beast inherited the power and the "seat and great authority"
of the dragon. (Rev. 13:2.) This beast is also identified by its activities. (Rev. 13:5-8.) The description
marks this beast as the same power which was symbolized by the little horn of Daniel 7:8, 19-21, 24, 25.
The time period is the same. Three and a half times and forty-two months both represent the 1260 years of
papal supremacy. This identification of the little horn of Daniel 7 and the leopard beast of Revelation 13 as
representing the Papacy was the commonly accepted view of the leaders of early Protestantism.
In Revelation 13 we have another beast which came up, not amid the strife and tumult of the Old
World, but "out of the earth" in the new world of America, we believe. John Wesley writing in 1754, said
of the two-horned beast: "He is not yet come, though he cannot be far off, for he is to appear at the end of
the forty-two months of the first beast." - Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, p. 735. This United
States, where we have "a church without a pope, and a state without, a king," has held up to the whole
world the torch of civil and religious freedom. But, sad to say, the prophecy tells us that this innocent lamb
like power is finally to speak as a dragon (Rev. 13:11) and cause the creation of an image to the leopard
beast, and enforce his mark. Here, where genuine religious liberty had its birth, there will doubtless yet be
religious persecution. Even now we can plainly discern definite trends away from the pure principles of
Protestantism and democracy. There are strong forces on both sides of this vital question, and the final
result of the conflict cannot be seen, except through the predictions of the prophetic Word. (On the mark of
the beast see pp. 45-52.)
While perhaps it is too much to expect our readers to accept our interpretation of this third angel's
message from this brief statement regarding it, we urge a prayerful study of its meaning, for it concerns the
eternal welfare of everyone. This proclamation is that those who "worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation." Rev. 14:9, 10. From this great
conflict two classes will emerge, those who have the mark of the beast, and those who have the seal of
God, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev. 7:4; 14:7)
Seventh-day Adventists are criticized for believing that they are God's chosen people. (No. 21.)
No true Seventh-day Adventist will assume any "holier than thou" attitude, though we do believe that God
has committed to us the responsibility of giving this threefold advent message, and we feel the tremendous
responsibility of the task. We recognize our shortcomings, and humbly accept the reproofs given to the
Laodicean church. (No. 23.) We believe there are true Spirit filled Christians in all denominations, just as
there were faithful servants of God in Jerusalem in the dark days when Jesus was born, who were "waiting
for the consolation of Israel." (Luke 2:25, 3S.) We believe that just as God raised up Martin Luther and
others to preach the doctrine of righteousness by faith and deliver the people from the errors of the
medieval church, just as He called men to lead in a great spiritual revival in England in the eighteenth
century, and just as He used the church to which Mr. Jones belongs to stand for the great principles of
religious liberty and to call the attention of Christians to the proper mode of baptism, so also He has raised
up a people to herald the imminent return of Jesus and call the attention of all to His downtrodden Sabbath.
As a result of that message a people will be prepared to meet Jesus when He comes-a people of saving faith
in the atoning blood of Christ, who live in strict obedience to God's holy law.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
We are criticized for believing that the voice of the General Conference is the voice of God on
earth. (No. 22.) We cheerfully acknowledge that Seventh-day Adventists believe in organization. When
God led His people out of Egypt they were a *ell-organized body. The early church was organized. Paul
ordained "elders in every church." Acts 14:23. He admonished the elders at Ephesus to "take heed ... to all
the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost bath made you overseers." Acts 20:28. The household of God,
said he, is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone." Eph. 2:20. Clear instruction was given by Jesus regarding discipline in the church, and the
expulsion of unrepentant wrongdoers. (Matt. 18:17.) In the fifteenth chapter of Acts we have the record of
the first General Conference, called to settle a perplexing question which threatened to bring in division.
As a result of the discussions, pro and con, and the testimony of workers whose ministry God had blessed,
a unanimous decision was reached, which was witnessed by the Holy Spirit. (Verses 7,12,13,25,28.) And
there was delivered to the churches by chosen men, the decrees of the conference, "that were ordained of
the apostles and elders." (Acts 15:22-29; 16:4.) We do not believe, with Mr.-Jones, that church
organization is "a humanly conceived religious organization." Our God is a God of order. He works
through His humble followers, who are organized to carry on His work. Today the message must go "to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." This calls for earnest, organized effort. "Where no
counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Prov. 11:14. (Prov. 15:22.)
And in this gospel work we have the assurance of His divine blessing in the person of the Holy Spirit.
(Matt. 28:20; John 16:13.)
Seventh-day Adventists follow a democratic and representative form of church organization.
Church officers are elected by the church, and the officers of the general organizations are chosen by
representatives from the churches; and while we do not believe in the infallibility of any man or any
committee, we do believe that God directs the church in its world work through the actions of the General
Conference. Is that faith on our part a "reason," in itself, why you should not be a Seventh-day Adventist?
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
"Every Christian is in duty bound to take the Bible as a perfect rule of faith and duty. We should pray
fervently to be aided by the Holy Spirit in searching the Scriptures for the whole truth, and for his whole
duty. He is not at liberty to turn from them to learn his duty through any of the gifts." Second Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald, April 21, 1851.
Repeatedly Mrs. White gave the same testimony, such as the following from an address in Christiania
(Oslo), Norway. "The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed, the sole bond of union." - The Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald, Dec. 15, 1885.
And again: "True Christianity receives the Word of God as the great treasure house of inspired truth, and
the test of all inspiration."-The Great Controversy, p. 193.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
"That young girl rose from prayer to take up the burden. Faithful she was. For seventy years her voice was
heard bearing messages of counsel in the advent movement; and the writings from her pen have been a
blessed gift to the remnant church all along the way, and a blessing to millions of readers in many
languages." The Spirit of Prophecy in the Advent Movement, p. 28.
Hers was a life of earnest toil for the cause she loved, with no feeling of self sufficiency or pride of
position. Concerning her work she wrote: "I walk with trembling before God. I know not how to speak or
trace with pen the large subjects of the atoning sacrifice. I know not how to present subjects in the living
power in which they stand before me. I tremble for fear lest I shall belittle the great plan of salvation by
cheap words. I bow my soul in awe and reverence before God, and say, 'Who is sufficient for these things?'
"-Ibid., p. 44.
Some years ago Mr. Jones, then an Adventist, wrote a pamphlet, which he diligently circulated
(even after he had left the church the first time), in which he spoke in the highest possible terms of the
work of Mrs. White. He said: "The evidences of the genuineness of Mrs. White's divine calling, and the
proofs of the reliability of her prophetic utterances, are not alone numerous and dependable, but they are
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
thoroughly convincing. . . . 'When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall it be known, that
the Lord has truly sent him."'-The Time, The Need, The Message, p. 50. His words were true then, and
they are true now.
"After a lifetime studying the religions of the world-the efforts of the human soul to get into contact with
the Infinite1 have come across a book by Ellen G. White, the very name of which describes its motive: The
Desire of Ages. Since reading this truly wonderful book, my most ardent wish for this suffering, distraught
world is that every man and woman should be-M come, through its pages, familiar with its Supreme
Subject." Quoted in The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 21, 1932.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
Thus while religious prejudice seeks to belittle the work of Mrs. White, unprejudiced observers
the world around give expressions of admiration for the results of her work.
Seventh-day Adventists do not feel called upon to press upon non-Adventists the obligation to
accept the "testimonies" of Mrs. White (for, as Paul says, "Prophesying serveth not for them that believe
not, but for them which believe." 1 Cor. 14:22), but inasmuch as Mr. Jones has made her work a point of
special attack, it seemed necessary to give the foregoing facts and general statements regarding Mrs.
White's call and work.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
"For a time after the disappointment in 1844, 1 did hold, in common with the Advent body, that the door of
mercy was then forever closed to the world. This position was taken before my first vision was given me. It
was the light given me of God that corrected our error, and enabled us to see the true position." "No one
has ever heard me say or has read from my pen statements which will justify them in the charges they have
made against me upon this point."-Quoted in The Testimony of Jesus, by F. M. WILCOX, pp. 95, 105. The
truth of these statements is verified by the records.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
Mr. Jones next turns to a statement written by Mrs. White on January 4, 1862, on "The North and
the South" (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 253-260). This entire statement, written early in the
War Between the States, would be profitable reading to anyone interested in the history of those times and
in the cause of human freedom. Mrs. White states-and this is an acknowledged fact-that "the accursed
system of slavery" lay "at the foundation of the war." Thousands, she said, had enlisted as soldiers with the
understanding that the war was to exterminate slavery, and were very bitter to find that this was not the
objective, which was only to preserve the Union.
Then she said: "In view of all this, they inquire, If we succeed in quelling this rebellion, what has
been gained? They can only answer discouragingly, Nothing. That which caused the rebellion is not
removed. The system of slavery, which has ruined our nation, is left to live and stir up another rebellion."
Mrs. White is giving here the sentiments of the complaining soldiers that slavery "is left to live and stir up
another rebellion." But even if the statement were her own, it would only have been a statement of
conditions then existing, and a warning of what would result if those conditions were not changed. But
those conditions were changed. Not many months later Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation freeing the slaves, and the disaster which was feared if slavery were not abolished was
averted. Thus another charge against Mrs. White is disproved merely by the reading of the context of the
critic's excerpt.
Speaking further of the failure of the North to carry out the real object of the war, the abolition of
slavery, Mrs. White said that "this nation will yet be humbled into the dust." At the time this was written it
was the general opinion in Northern circles that the secession would easily be put down, but in the months
that followed the North suffered repeated reverses, and the nations of Europe came very near to
recognizing the Confederacy as a separate nation. At least in the eyes of the world this nation was humbled
in the dust.
In this connection Mrs. White tells how at that time England was considering the advisability of
making war on the United States, and whether or not, in that event, others nations might seize the
opportunity to attack her. Then follows the statement that "when England does declare war, all nations will
have an interest of their own to serve, and there will be general war, general confusion." But England did
not declare war, and the results that would have followed did not come. The whole context bears out this
explanation of the passage. Webster gives one definition of "when" as "in the event that," or, "on condition
that." This is evidently the meaning of the word "when" as used here.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
In this view I saw only a very few of the events of the future. More recent views have been more full. I
shall therefore leave out a portion and prevent repetition."-The Testimony of Jesus, pp. 118, 119.
Our critic makes the bold accusation that Mrs. White was influenced to write personal testimonies
by "both church leaders and others" who desired to gain certain objectives. He gives no proof and has none
to offer. Her own reaction to such a suggestion was what you would expect from a sincere servant of God.
"You think individuals have prejudiced my mind. If I am in this state, I am not fit to be trusted with the
work of God." The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Sept. 19, 1893.
This charge that the message of the prophet was of human and not divine origin is not a new one.
There was a group of men in Judah who did not like Jeremiah's reproofs and words of warning. "Then
spoke Azariah ... and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speaks falsely: the Lord our God hath
not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there: but Baruch the son of Neriah sets thee on against
us." Jer.. 43:2, 3.
Baffled by the acknowledged high character of the literary work of Mrs. White, who had very
meager formal education, and bent on discounting any divine influence, her critics maintain that "able
editorial assistants were responsible for much of the material" appearing under her name. Mrs. White had
literary assistants but no "ghost" writers. In 1907 she said, "The reports that are circulated, that any of my
helpers are permitted to add matter or change the meaning of the messages I write out, are not true."-The
Ellen G. White Books, (a brochure), p. 9.
We would gladly give much fuller information regarding the preparation of Mrs. White's books
did space permit. Her explanation of the use she, has made of the writings of others in the book Great
Controversy is given in the introduction to that book, which is obtainable in many libraries.
A Consistent Life
The critic's last blow at Mrs. White-and surely a weak one is a charge of inconsistency. It is stated that
while Mrs. White "urged her followers to dispose of their possessions and turn the proceeds to the cause,"
she herself at one time owned "two hundred or more acres of land"; and further that she warned against
indebtedness and yet was seriously in debt at the time of her death.
The truth is that at no time did Mrs. White advise that Seventh-day Adventists should not own
their own homes. Any counsel regarding the sale of property pertained to the disposal of surplus holdings.
And in this matter of giving to the support of the gospel work, she herself was a brilliant example of
benevolence.
It is true that when Mrs. White returned to the United States from Australia in 1901, she
purchased a property of sixty acres of farm and hill land, on which were located her home and the houses
of some of her assistants. The purchase price was $5,000. Needing firewood for heating and cooking, she
later purchased one hundred twenty acres of mountain woodland for $550, which she held for a time.
Would the reader condemn Mrs. White for thus providing for herself a home in her old age?
In order to hold down the retail price of her books, Mrs. White not only met the expense of her
secretarial staff from her own resources, but also paid for the typesetting, plate making, and illustrations for
these books. These heavy expenses, together with her many benevolences to aid in the work of the
denomination, oftentimes called for sums of money beyond her immediate income; and at the time of her
death an appraisal of her property for probate purposes revealed the fact that monies advanced to her for
the prosecution of her work exceeded the actual forced sale value of immediately disposable property. This
left for a time an indebtedness of a number of thousands of dollars, which during ensuing years was
entirely liquidated from the income of her literary properties, in harmony with her specified provisions.
Mrs. White's experience in giving her entire income, beyond the bare necessities of life, to the
development of the work of the denomination and leaving no estate at her death is, we believe, in keeping
with the consistent life of one called as a messenger for God. She invested all her income and used her
good name and the potential earning powers of her literary properties as security for money borrowed to
advance the work of God. That Mrs. White planned wisely is evidenced by the fact that her indebtedness
has been entirely cleared from the sale and earnings of properties which were left to meet these obligations.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
Adventists, who had twenty three years of direct observation of the work of Mrs. White, and, in his own
words, "twenty additional years for thoughtful reflection and study of that life and its fruits," wrote:
"I can say that it is my deep conviction that Mrs. White's life far transcends the life of anyone 1 have ever
known or with whom I have been associated. She was uniformly pleasant, cheerful, and courageous. She
was never careless, flippant, or in any way cheap in conversation or manner of life. She was the
personification of serious earnestness regarding the things of the kingdom. 1 never once heard her boast of
the gracious gift God had bestowed upon her, or of the marvelous results of her endeavors. She did rejoice
in the fruitage, but gave all the glory to Him who wrought through her."-The Abiding Gift of Prophecy, p.
368.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
1. When the great prophetic clock indicated that the time of God's judgment was at hand, spontaneously
there came forward in different parts of the world devout students of prophecy who gave the message. And
now, the threefold message of Revelation 14 is being given by Seventh-day Adventists. It is God's
message, and you should be connected with it.
2. In this time when modernism has very largely captured the Protestant churches, and the evolution theory
of creation has led religious leaders to reject many of the great doctrines of historic Christianity, Seventh-
day Adventists stand staunchly for the inspiration of both the Old and New Testaments as a revelation from
God, the only rule of faith and doctrine. And they strictly adhere to the historic Protestant principle of
interpretation, that the Scriptures should be taken literally unless there is clear evidence that the language is
symbolic.
3. In this mighty hour of the world's history, when men's hearts are torn between hope and fear as they
think of the future, there is a most intense longing on the part of men and women everywhere to * know
what is coming. The only one who knows the end from the beginning is God, and our only source of
knowledge regarding the future is the prophetic Word. Adventist interpretation of prophecy regarding the
last things, first made at a time when conditions in the world gave no clue regarding changes to come, is
being fulfilled before our eyes. As an example, for more than seventy-five years we have predicted, on the
basis of Bible prophecy, that troubles in the world would grow worse and worse; while other religious
teachers, regarding us as calamity howlers, were prophesying the ushering in of a millennium of peace.
How rudely their optimism has been dissolved by the most terrible wars in all history, is well known to all.
And while we ardently wish that the new world organization might bring the longed-for permanent peace,
we know from the Word of God that "they shall not cleave one to another," and that there will be national
strife at the time when God rises to execute judgment on a sinful world. (Dan. 2:35, 43, 44; Rev. 11:18; 1
Thess. 5:3.)
4. The great rebellion against God, which began with Lucifer's disaffection in heaven and will continue
until Christ shall have put all enemies under His feet (1 Cor. 15:24, 25), is a rebellion against obedience to
the divine law. This law, embodying the great principles of love to God and man, given in human
language, and so expressed as to meet the conditions under which we live, was spoken by God's own voice
from Mount Sinai. It is the foundation of God's government. This is the law which Jesus kept (Ps. 40:8;
John 15:10), and which He said would never pass away (Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:17), the law which He
magnified by His life and by His death (Isa. 42:21), and the law by which all men will be judged (Matt.
19:17; James 2:12). Seventh-day Adventists believe, with Bishop Matthew Simpson, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, that, "the law of God, in its great and solemn injunctions, should be distinctly set forth.
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
Our congregations should be gathered as around the base of Mount Sinai, while from its summit is heard
the voice of God in those commandments which are unalterable and eternal in their character,"-Lectures on
Preaching, Lecture 4, p. 128.
In these days when there is a general breaking down of moral standards, when the acceptance of
pagan philosophies beclouds the clear distinction between right and wrong, you should. Stand with
Seventh-day Adventists in declaring the sacredness and perpetual obligation of God's moral law, the Ten
Commandments.
5. You should be a Seventh-day Adventist because this church observes the Sabbath enjoined by God in
His holy law (Ex. 20: 8-11), the Sabbath which is the divine memorial of the birthday of the world, and a
sign of the re-creation of the human soul--sanctification (Eze. 20:12)-the only weekly day of rest which
God ever set apart and blessed, and which He calls "My holy day" (Isa. 58:13), the Sabbath which Jesus
kept, and of which He is Lord (Mark 2:28). As James G. Murphy, in his Commentary on the Book of
Exodus, page 231, says: "The act of creation is the origin of all title to the creature and to the obedience of
the intelligent creation. The creation of man is commemorated in the fourth commandment. Hence it
contains the fountainhead of all authority in God and all duty in man."
If man had always truly observed the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial of creation, he would
never have forgotten God, the Creator, and therefore would never have lapsed into idolatry. Neither would
the great truth of the creation of the world by a personal God have been shrouded in the mists of the
evolution theory. Furthermore, if all the Protestant churches had faithfully and intelligently observed this
holy memorial, there would have been no confusion regarding the Biblical record of creation, and
modernism could never have flourished as it does today.
God is calling for a Sabbath reform (Isa. 58:12-14), and as a result of this message there will be a
glorious company at the coming of Christ of whom it is said, "Here are they that keep the commandments
of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. Dear reader, will you be among that company?
6. Many Protestant ministers have capitulated to the almost universally believed, yet unproved, theory of
evolution, and hence have lost their witness for the inspiration of the Bible. The Bible tells us that the Lord
created the world for a purpose and made man upright (Isa. 45:18; Ecel. 7:29), but evolutionists tell us that
they no longer believe in "the action of a creator acting for a definite purpose" (ERNST HAECKEL,
History of Creation, Vol. 1, p. 21), and that man developed from lower forms of life, and is ever growing
toward perfection. If God did not create a perfect map in the beginning, then there was no fall, and hence
no need of a Savior. Evolution robs the gospel of all meaning. Evolution is a direct attack against the
doctrine of a creator and creation; while the first angel's message is a direct appeal to man to "worship Him
that made heaven, and earth." Rev. 14:7. This message is God's answer to the theory of evolution.
The Sabbath is a memorial of creation and the outward sign of belief in a personal God and the truth of the
Bible. This is well stated by Murphy in his Commentary on Exodus, page 230: "The observance of the
Sabbath connects man with the origin of his race, with the six days' creation, and with the Creator Himself.
The connection is manifestly a historical one. He that observes the Sabbath aright holds the history of that
which it celebrates to be authentic, and therefore believes in the creation of the first man, in the creation of
a fair abode for man in the space of six days, in the primeval and absolute creation of the heavens and the
earth, and, as a necessary antecedent to all this, in the Creator, who at the close of His latest creative effort
rested on the. seventh day. The Sabbath thus becomes a sign by which the believers in a historical
revelation are distinguished from those who have allowed these great facts to fade from their remembrance.
(Ex. 31:15.)"
Many who endeavor to oppose evolution have lost their case through their efforts to harmonize this
pseudoscientific theory with the Bible, by counting the days of the first chapter of Genesis as long periods
of time, thus virtually accepting the theory of the gradual development of the world. If you believe in the
inspiration of the Bible and in the supernatural, if you believe that God created the world in six days, and if
you recognize evolution as an enemy of the gospel, you should be a Seventh-day Adventist and
demonstrate your belief to the world by the observance of the Sabbath.
7. Soon after spiritism originated in the United States, about one hundred years ago, Seventh-day
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Bible Reasons Why You Should Be a Seventh-day Adventist
Adventists predicted on the basis of the prophetic Word, that this effort to communicate with the dead
would develop into a widespread deception. They declared that this was the fulfillment of Paul's prediction
"that in the latter times" some would give heed "to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils," and of the
revelator's prophecy concerning "the spirits of devils, working miracles." (1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:14.) These
predictions of ours were, at the time, considered fantastic, but today spiritism has millions of adherents,
both within and without the Christian churches, and is being seriously studied in scientific laboratories.
Spiritism was under the ban of God in the Jewish dispensation. "There shall not be found among you," said
the Lord, "an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits." Deut. 18:10, 11.
While many Christian ministers, such as the late F. B. Meyer, of England, have warned the people
against this deceptive influence, other Christian leaders, as well as statesmen and even some scientists,
have espoused the doctrine of communication with the spirits of the dead, and claim to have such
communication.
The Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the mortality of man, and of life only in 1 Christ, is a
timely and practical answer to this last-day deception. If we accept the Bible teaching that "the dead know
not anything," and that when a man dies "in that very day his thoughts perish" (Eccl. 9:5; Ps. 146:4), then
we know from the infallible Word that all such ideas as communication with the dead and the supplication
of the saints are deceptions of Satan. Accept these great truths that we have eternal life only in Christ (1
John 5:11) and that eventually the wicked shall be "no more" but "shall be as though they had not been"
(Prov. 10: 25; Obadiah 16), and you will not only be free from the fatal deceptions of spiritism but have a
larger conception of the love of God and His plans, for a clean universe.
8. It is a well-known fact that the chief emphasis in the Protestant churches today is on the
salvation of society rather than the salvation of the individual. We are told that "to appeal to this generation
to repent of individual sins is to get but feeble response." But this statement of fact is all the more reason
why the Christian church should redouble its efforts in the preaching of the gospel which is "the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believes." Rom. 1:16. Salvation is an individual matter. Seventh-day
Adventists are deeply interested in every worthy effort to better the temporal welfare of their fellow men.
They believe in the "gospel of health." They conduct health institutions in many lands for the scientific and
rational treatment of disease, endeavoring at the same time to permeate these institutions with an
atmosphere of grace, with the hope that those who are spiritually ill may also find healing of the soul.
Seventh day Adventists are active in temperance work and endeavor. to support every legitimate effort to
suppress the liquor curse. Seventh-day Adventists also carry on active work in behalf of the needy. While
they consider all such humanitarian efforts for a suffering world as a Christian privilege and obligation,
they recognize that the greatest and only permanent good that can come to human beings is salvation from
the penalty and power of sin.
Education and social welfare work have their honored place in God's plan, but the supreme
method for the transformation of humanity is "the foolishness of preaching"-personal and public
evangelism. (1 Cor. 1:21.)
Seventh-day Adventists do not look for the world to grow better and better until we have, by a
sort of evolutionary process, the kingdom of God on earth. The Bible teaches that the great controversy
between sin and righteousness will grow more and more intense (Rev. 12:12) until Jesus comes to end the
conflict and calls His waiting people-His "little flock"-and gives to them the kingdom (Luke 12:32). In
preparation for that day God in mercy is sending a message of love and warning "to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and *people." Rev. 14:6-12. Just following the prophecy concerning this message, the
beloved John says, "I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of
man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.... And He that sat on the cloud
thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." Verses 14-16.
Dear reader, do you want to be one of that glorious throng that will be redeemed from the earth,
that will stand on the sea of glass and sing the song of ' victory? (Rev. 15:2, 3.) We invite you to identify
yourself with the people who are giving the advent message and do your part in this day of God's
preparation.
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